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January/February 2002 Alternative Health
Our Role in Personal Transformation and Healing

by Petrene Soames

Reality and you

Petrene Soames

There is a lot of fear in the world today. Many people worry about a possible World War III involving chemical and nuclear weapons. Others are concerned that the end of the world is imminent, or that life as we know it will end. Still others are close to panic, feeling helpless and out of control. We have the choice to feel this way, but we can also take another path if we wish. It is important to realize that when we learn to heal ourselves, we are not limited merely to changing our own realities; the world reality is also ours to change. We are all responsible for the collective thoughts and fears. In fact, each time we allow ourselves the thought that catastrophes may happen, that everything will fall apart, and that the world is going to be destroyed, we feel powerless to do anything and we give up our unique strength. In essence, we are as responsible as those that drop the bombs and pull the triggers. While we continue to accept war, violence and horror, our own fascination with the subject helps to create it. The choice and the responsibility are there for each and every one of us to use. As you change your lifestyle and create your own self-healing lifestyle, you will begin to realize more and more that you are not insignificant or unimportant, but a powerful and amazing being. Any limitations that you accept are of your own choosing. The perfect reality is possible where everyone can live together if they choose, a world where there is no hunger, no violation, no abuse. It is not a dream out of our reach. It is a conscious choice that we each have the option to make. Future reality is ours to create; it’s part of our new self-healing, new lifestyle choice.

Creating our world

Many people now find it acceptable to believe that they co-create with a higher power. This is the first, big step towards realizing the greatness of ourselves. Of course it seems a big responsibility to stand alone and accept the fact that you do know exactly what you are doing at all times, that you have made no mistakes, that everything is interconnected and perfect, that everything that happens with and to you is up to you, and as much as you created it you can change it. This is a more comfortable thought for many people to believe than the idea that life is beyond our power and imagination, or that fate is all. For those who still cling to the old ideas, let me point out that more and more we are being urged to go beyond our “comfort zone” now. I am not suggesting that there is any right or wrong here, only that there are always more choices than most people realize, even when situations seem totally impossible, and that whatever is actually happening, we each have agreed to and had a part in creating.

Many of the so-called New Age thinkers believe that the higher self knows what it is doing and if something painful is happening, it must be karma, a kind of punishment for past actions and events. This is basically a fatalistic approach; the concept that pain must be experienced, the popular “no pain no gain” view. Of course there is value in all of these ways and they are all there to be experienced and expressed, but there is no need to be bound or stuck in any one of them. We always have a choice to bring change to ourselves and to do things differently. Another place where many people become lost is the belief that they have to be good or important, that they must and should behave in a good and loving manner. So they continue to live life in self-sacrificing ways, feeling that if they just love enough, everything will be all right. Sadly, many see that this does not work yet at this moment in time, because we are not all together at the same point in our reality. So these people continue to be hurt, and never understand why.

We often tend to believe we are not doing or being enough, and we immediately blame ourselves first, instead of standing back and taking a much bigger picture into account. This is where knowing yourself is most important. How do you act and react? How much do you empathize with others? Really start to listen to yourself and others. Fulfill your needs. Go with what you feel, and take into account everything that you have experienced in the past. How is all of that past shaping your present reality? Look beyond your own concept of what the past is. See all the many different people who make up who you are, young, old, male, female, the different races and cultures, and all the parts of you that we do not even have words to describe, or feelings to relate to, because they are outside of what we know. All of this is “you.” We are capable of seeing and knowing ourselves in all of our splendor and of knowing others too, and what we call life in all of its many different forms and expressions. It does not mean that we need to be aware or looking at every moment of the day. But at least to look often or even from time to time, and to look more closely than we do presently, because the more we look, the more we will find ourselves. We will then begin to realize that we are not being one person, one force, good or bad, higher or lower, but a rich, deep tapestry with many faces, realities and dimensions.

Basic concepts and values such as “do to others what you would have them do unto you,” and “care about all living things,” are noble sentiments, but only when we each truly love, value, care and accept ourselves. Then it is easy to be generous with others. Without a doubt, what you most dislike in others, you also dislike in yourself. Take this a step further. Explore the parts of you that you dislike and see where they come from and where they are going. This is healing. It is also time to take a look at our own core belief system. As we embrace self-healing, we may realize that our goal may not be after all to be all that we can be, but rather to be all that we already are. We begin to see that we are capable, powerful, perfect and indeed indestructible, that life and death are neither beginnings nor ends. We begin to see that life can be quite wonderful, a joyful, wondrous, exciting and often challenging experience. We see that we are not victims after all in anything, but rather consenting participants. Life then becomes exciting and filled with hope rather than despair.

Adapted from The Essence of Self-Healing: How to Bring Health and Happiness Into Your Life (FleetStreet Publications - March 2001). Petrene Soames is a leading authority in healing and self-awareness, an inspirational speaker, a veteran television and radio guest featured in national and international press. She has worked successfully over the past 22 years as a consultant and therapist, helping others achieve their highest potential. Originally from the UK, Petrene Soames has been residing in Houston, TX since 1995. Visit her web site at http://Timeismine.com or call (281) 363-9983 USA.